Make your morning coffee count:, Alzheimer Society launches annual Coffee Break fundraiser

By Kristen Coughlar

 EMC News - For many of us it's one of the first things we do each morning: turn on the, coffee maker, or place an order at our favourite haunt for a cup of Joe.
Now that morning or mid-afternoon pick-me-up has the potential to make a difference in the local community.
Last Thursday, the Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Addington Alzheimer Society launched its annual Coffee Break fundraising campaign, where residents at Fairmount Home were the first to raise a steaming hot cup of Joe in support of the cause.
"Coffee Break is one of the major fundraisers for the Alzheimer Society across Canada, not just KFL&A," said Education Coordinator Jillian Dahm-McConnell. "What it is, is a way to garner some support and today kick off what we hope will be a number of them that happen in the community over the next couple of months."
Dahm-McConnell noted that the Coffee Break at Fairmount Home was just one of 80 Coffee Breaks so far that will be hosted by organizations and individuals throughout KFL&A in the months to come.
What exactly is an Alzheimer Society Coffee Break? Quite simply, it's an everyday coffee break in support of programs and services offered by the Alzheimer Society.
"So in general, especially for businesses, everyone has a coffee break at some point in time during their day, where coworkers gather and have a quick chit-chat and a coffee. In this situation we actually provide the coffee and a little kit with some paraphernalia from the Alzheimer Society, and instead of either putting into the coffee can that you normally do at work, or gong to Tim Hortons, you spend the money and give a donation to the society," Dahm-McConnell explained.
She mentioned that in some cases volunteers have taken the traditional Coffee Break to a new level, hosting cheesecake parties or brunches.
"They sort of make it into whatever they want, but the bottom line is that the money is being raised for the society and it all goes to the programs and services that serve our clientele."
This year, the KFL&A Alzheimer Society is hoping to raise $63,000 through the Coffee Break campaign, a slight increase over last year's fundraising goal."We're always reaching for a little bit more," Dahm-McConnell said, noting that only 30 per cent of the organization's budget is covered by government funding.
"So 70 per cent of our budget relies on the donations of organizations and individuals, so that is why this has become such an important part of our annual budget."
Dahm-McConnell explained that every donation made at Coffee Break events stay within the local KFL&A region, and that money is used to support a wide range of programs and services offered through the organization. Services such as individual and caregivers support groups and education and training programs.
Dahm-McConnell noted that she believes the simplicity of the Coffee Break concept is what has made it so successful over the years.
"It's very user friendly if you will, and a lot of it involves the congregation of people and socialization, which is always a nice sort of break to the day. So it's not re-inventing the wheel by any means, it's just building on what people do naturally, and it makes it easier for people to get involved because it's not a lot to do."
Individuals, organizations and businesses that are interested in hosting their own Coffee Break in support of the KFL&A Alzheimer Society are invited to call (613) 544-3978.
kcoughlar@perfprint.ca

Review: Skype phone and adapter for home calling

By PETER SVENSSON 

With two new products, Skype has made it easier to make Internet calls from home phones, for savings on international calls and potentially also domestic ones.
But compared to other Internet calling options for the home, Skype's solution is a piecemeal and complicated way to save money. All the same, some Skype fans may appreciate the new cordless phone with a built-in Skype function.
We tested the phone along with the new Freetalk Connect-Me phone adapter, which Skype sells for $40. That price includes an hour calling. For an additional $20, you can get free calls to the U.S. and Canada for a year. Calls to people on Skype (as opposed to those reached by dialing a number) are free, no matter where they are.

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The adapter is a small box that plugs into a power outlet. You connect cables to your Internet router, your phone jack and your home phone.
When you make a Skype call, the adapter diverts the call from the external phone line to your Internet connection. But first you have to pre-program the adapter to recognize certain speed-dial numbers as corresponding to Skype contacts or phone numbers. Since it's truly a "black box" _ with no buttons or screen _ you reach it through your computer's Web browser.
This clunky setup prevents you from making impromptu Skype calls. Because your phone isn't designed to work with Skype, you can't access your Skype address book directly on the handset, or see who's online to take your calls. Since home phones don't have cameras, you won't be able to do video calls.
On the plus side, the phone lets you receive Skype calls at any time, without having your computer on.
But what really sinks the Skype adapter in my esteem is the sound quality. On calls to international and domestic phones, there were odd hissing noises in the background and voices were muffled. One person I called heard her own echo, a common phenomenon on poorly configured Internet phone systems.
The audio improved greatly, to the level of a good cellphone call, when I ditched the adapter for the other recent Skype release, the GE Digital Cordless Expandable phone. It costs $70 with 400 minutes of calls thrown in. For another $20, you get a year of calls to the U.S. and Canada and 200 minutes of calls to international phones.
It looks like any cordless phone, except it has a prominent "Skype" button. It can make and receive regular phone calls, and the buttons and screen make it a lot easier to make Skype calls than it is with the adapter. The phone shows you which of your Skype contacts are online, and when you dial a number, you can choose whether to route it through Skype or the phone company.
It sounds good to be able to choose between the boring old phone company and the jazzy new Internet guerrilla for every call. But how much money will that really save you?
Most plans from phone and cable companies already include unlimited domestic calling, so there isn't much point to running those over Skype. Their international rates, though, are good. And of course, calls to Skype contacts are free.
But if you call the same few people overseas over and over again, and they're not big Skype users, there's another way of making cheap Skype calls from your home phone, without the use of an adapter or special phone. You can sign up for the To Go service on Skype's website. If you give it an international number that you like to call, it will give you a local number back. Call that number from your home phone, and Skype connects your international call at its rates, rather than the phone company's. It's like a calling card, but without the hassle of entering a bunch of numbers on the phone. (A competitor called Rebtel has a similar service.)
The drawback to Skype To Go is that you can only call phone numbers _ it won't connect you to Skype users for free.
Now, it looks like you could reap some really big savings by eliminating your home phone service altogether in favor of the Skype phone or adapter. After all, Skype charges about as much for a year's worth of service as a phone or cable company does for a month.
But Skype isn't set up as a replacement for a landline, and points this out at every opportunity. For one thing, you can't call 911 on it. Also, Skype doesn't give you a phone number, unless you pay another $18 per three-month period. Without a phone number, you can make outgoing calls, but you can't receive them. The exception would be any Skype call routed to your username. Try giving that to the doctor's office! And even if you pay for a phone number, it will be a new one _ you can't move your existing home number over to Skype.
See what I mean about a piecemeal solution? It's like you have to pay for every little piece of the puzzle.
To really break free from the phone or cable company, you need a full-service Internet calling product, like those sold by Vonage Holdings Corp. or Ooma. Both support 911 calls, and let you move over your phone number. Ooma's sound quality is practically indistinguishable from a regular landline.
Skype is a victim of its limited ambitions when it comes to home phone service. It wants to be an Internet phone company, but doesn't want to bother with all the regulation and nitty-gritty details that come with the "phone company" part. It will be interesting to see if Microsoft Corp., which is planning to buy Skype for $8.5 billion, will take it in a different direction.
Source http://news.smh.com.au/

Lib Dems conference 2011: Andrew Stunell speech in full

Andrew Stunell, the local government minister, announces plans to bring empty homes back into use at the Liberal Democrat party conference 2011. 

 

Mr Stunell was one of 28 Lib Dem MPs to vote in favour of the rise in tuition fees, passed by 21

It seems a million years ago that the media were reporting on the coalition talks between the Liberal Democrats and the Tories.

Talking heads endlessly speculating on who was up, who was down and how long it would last.

Newspapers full of the back stories of the four-man Liberal Democrat negotiation team of Danny Alexander, Chris Huhne and David Laws.

I’m not bitter. Honest. The Guardian wouldn’t have spelt my name right anyway.

In those five long days coming straight off the back of a gruelling election campaign, we crafted an agreement that saw Liberal Democrats enter government for the first time in over seventy years.
Since I got you into this, Conference, I thought it was only right to come and account for what I’ve done in government since.
Inside the grandly titled Department of Communities and Local Government we’ve had a tough year, with hard decisions and difficult cuts required.
That’s stolen the headlines, but we’re also racing to secure the vital reforms we promised to restore the power eroded from Local Government and local communities by successive governments for forty years or more, ably assisted by Whitehall’s mandarins.
And we’ve also tackled that policy Cinderella: Housing.
During his successful campaign to be our candidate for London Mayor, I heard Brian Paddick make the claim that Housing was the most important issue facing London.
I agree with you, Brian, but you didn’t go far enough.
It is one of the most important issues facing the entire country.
There are 250,000 new households formed every year. Social Housing waiting lists have soared to record levels. 5.5 million Households live in fuel poverty, and there were 28,000 so-called excess winter fuel deaths in 2010.
When the Coalition came into power, we inherited a housing crisis.
Labour had continued what the Tories started, selling off council houses, and failing to build enough even to replace them, let alone increase the number.
And in the private sector, even during the boom years of the housing market, we weren’t building the houses we needed.
The record of previous governments on social housing was nothing short of a disgrace.
Millions of social homes were sold off, and not replaced, whilst waiting lists soared to record levels.
As things stand, 4.5 million people are on social housing waiting lists. That’s 1.8m families waiting for a home they may never see.
Social Housing just wasn’t important enough for the last government.
They just didn’t get it.
Gordon Brown – remember him? He claimed on Newsnight that “Housing is essentially a private sector activity”.
The Shadow Education Secretary, Andy Burnham, went further and admitted that “Labour’s failure to build more council homes early in the life of the Government was a major mistake”.
He was right.
It was.
Housing just didn’t matter to Labour.
For decades, successive governments have taken us backwards – Labour and Tory alike.
We lost over a million social homes between 1979 and 1997.
Blair and Brown then cut the numbers by a further 420,000 in their thirteen years in power.
It was not good enough and the Coalition is determined to do better.
That’s why we’ve introduced the Affordable Rent programme, which will help us build more homes with less, getting better value for money for the taxpayer to boot.
It’s been a success so far.
We initially hoped we’d build around 150,000 new social homes for rent over the next four years.
The critics claimed it could never happen. That we’d fall flat on our face. That we’d fail.
But bids to introduce affordable rent schemes exceeded even our own expectations.
So much so, that now, we’re on course to build 170,000 new social homes in the next four years.
To be sure, we still have a long way to go and a lot more to do.
But I can stand here today as a Government Minister and tell you Conference, that thanks to Liberal Democrat influence in government, we have a social housing target that we can and will meet.
That thanks to the Liberal Democrats, the coalition will be the first government to deliver an increase in social housing during its term of office for more than thirty years.
But the search for value for money means we must also get the most out of our existing stock too.
That’s essential with new household formation outstripping the number of new homes built each year and waiting lists rising every day.
Yet we have 700,000 empty homes in this country.
Over 300,000 of them are long-term empties – vacant for more than six months. That’s 2 years’ new housing supply. It’s a scandal, in fact it’s a crime when thousands of families cannot get a decent home
Bringing those empty homes back into use has long been a key demand of Liberal Democrats.
It was one of our big asks on housing policy during the coalition negotiations.
It’s in the Coalition Agreement. It’s there in the Departmental Business Plan. Now it’s down to me to deliver.
The last government’s empty homes policies were disjointed, scatter-brained, and lacked a coherent direction.
We must do better. And we will do better.
Last October, we announced a £100m programme to kick start the reuse of empty properties to create thousands more affordable homes right across the country.
In the coming weeks, I will be bringing forward the details of our empty homes strategy – the first time any government has had one.
The strategy will set out what Government is doing, and what more we intend to do to tackle the problem of empty homes.
It will open the door to bids from councils, housing associations and other providers, with work on the ground starting next April.
And it will make the case for one of the most efficient housing investments we can make: giving us more homes per pound, more jobs per home, and plenty of training opportunities too.
And of course I want to see local authorities getting to grips with the empty homes in their areas.
Already, the New Homes Bonus will apply to Empty Homes, so councils will receive six years worth of council tax per home. £9,000 or so.
But we can do more.
That’s why today I can announce that we will shortly be consulting on whether councils should be given the power to charge extra council tax on homes in their area that have been empty for more than two years, through an Empty Homes Premium.
Discretionary, naturally. Localist, certainly. With essential safeguards and exemptions, of course. But a nudge to owners to bring abandoned homes back into use.
An extra weapon in a council’s armoury in the battle to make better use of our housing stock.
The premium will act as a spur for landlords to bring their properties back into use quickly. And where they don’t, it will provide an extra revenue stream for Local Authorities to plough back into bringing more homes back into use.
We will also look to be innovative and find other ways to support local authorities to bring vacant properties back into use, and regenerate their areas.
Homesteading – where empty homes are brought back into use through self-renovation – has proven successful both internationally, for instance in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, and also back here in the UK, such as in Benwell in Newcastle
Homesteading provides a triple benefit, it gives families a foot on the housing ladder, brings empty homes back into use, and it helps to regenerate whole communities.
So I can also announce today that we will work with local authorities to identify areas where effective homesteading schemes could be delivered to rejuvenate local communities.
But it’s not just numbers of homes that are important.
We need to ensure that we get quality as well as quantity.
Stopping carbon emissions from our homes may not be as high profile as transport, or renewable energy projects.
But it is essential in the fight against climate change. And a lot more cost effective.
The Built Environment contributes almost half of Britain’s carbon emissions each year.
Over a quarter come from our homes.
A two-third cut in CO2 emissions produced in our homes would save more carbon than taking all the country’s cars off the road, so the need for more sustainable homes couldn’t be more obvious.
Conference – the choice is clear: we either make our buildings more sustainable or we will lose our battle with climate change.
Liberal Democrats take that battle seriously, and want to deliver on the green promises we make.
Liberal Democrats want the Coalition to be the greenest government ever, so that means we need to have the greenest built environment ever.
Not just setting targets, but delivering results.
The last Labour government were big on targets that they always missed.
And we already have the evidence that the existing standards they set aren’t being met. A recent study by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation showed that not even an exemplar Zero Carbon Development was performing as it should.
Although residents were comfortable and pleased with their lower heating bills, the homes were losing 54% more heat than designed.
The report concluded that many processes and cultures within the industry and its supply chain need to change if Zero Carbon Homes is to be more than an empty slogan.
That’s why, as part of the work my department is doing ahead of the next upgrade of Building Regulations in 2013, I have urgently called together an Advisory Committee on Compliance to look into what more we can do to make sure that standards are met, and that carbon reduction in the built environment becomes a reality.
But it’s not just new homes that need attention.
Around three-quarters of today’s homes will still be in use in 2050. So if we want to cut carbon, we need to upgrade our old homes, not just the new ones.
That’s where the Green Deal comes in.
As you heard from Chris earlier, from September 2012, energy companies will pay up-front to insulate your home, with the money paid back through the savings made on your energy bill.
Real help and real savings for real people.
Chris Huhne and I came up with the initial plan for what’s now the Green Deal in our 2006 policy paper “Climate Change Starts at Home”.
Little did you know then, Conference, that so much of what you voted for in that paper would be implemented by Liberal Democrats in government.
Back then you could have been forgiven for thinking you’d just voted for the latest bright idea to be stolen by Labour or the Tories.
And believe me, they both tried!
But it’s Liberal Democrat ministers who are delivering on our promise of constructing a greener built environment.
And we need to tell people about it.
Earlier in Conference I helped launch the party’s new autumn campaign to promote our environmental successes in government.
It’s a brilliant example of the influence that the Liberal Democrats have had on this government.
So after this Conference is over I want you to do one thing for me: Go back to your constituencies and prepare the RISO.
Boast about our environmental record.
Show your local residents how, thanks to the Liberal Democrats, it pays to Save Money, Stay Warm and Go Green.
And that message is more important to your residents now than ever, when every penny counts.
So our record on housing in government is clear, constructive, and definitely a cut above the others.
A solid record of achievement.
Is there more to be done?
Absolutely.
But when Labour start carping, telling you that the new homes we’re building are “Labour’s homes”, or criticising our record, remind them of their last thirteen years.
Remind them how social housing numbers fell, and waiting lists rose. Remind them of their lack of action on the environment, and their failure to tackle empty homes. And then remind them of our record so far.
More new affordable homes.
The first net increase in the social housing stock by any government for thirty years.
A Green Deal to make our homes warmer and save consumers money.
Action on compliance to ensure that Zero Carbon Homes do exactly what they say on the tin.
And action to bring thousands of empty homes back into use.
Conference, with a record like that, I don’t mind how they spell my name.

 Source http://www.telegraph.co.uk/

They are there to care not to make money

By Bristol Evening

PLEASE let me quote Councillor Rogers (Lib Dem) .... "The in-house home care costs £34 an hour, the private sector provides the same service for £16 an hour. We propose to give people in need the money to spend on the service they choose. In-house caring or the cheaper private sector caring. Already 85 per cent of people have chosen the cheaper option" end of quote.
Now the truth, Mr Rogers quotes relative costs, £34 against £16 an hour. The costs are fictitious, unproven, they are a figment of imagination. The figures are not in the public domain. Would Mr Rogers pass the calculation to an independent auditor? Of course not. Better still would he agree to a lie detector test? Of course not.
Now the 85 per cent versus 15 per cent of people that have already chosen private sector rather than in-house caring. People have had no choice, they are discharged from hospital into civic care, their care needs are assessed and they are passed, automatically, by the council to a private sector provider. This practice has been going on for many months until we have now reached the point where Mr Rogers can use the figures to support his own purpose.
It is all duplicity. The Home Care in-house service is the blue riband of caring in our city, their care service is not profit driven as the private sector must be. They are there to care, not to make money.
Will Mr Rogers be allowed to blunder on careless of his civic duty to provide the best possible care for our elderly, needy people? He will of course, to meet his own political ends. Shame on him and his Lib Dem masters, shame, shame.
Bob Taylor
Sole carer in distress
I AM extremely concerned about the current state of the care system in this area and the country as a whole. It is not only failing the elderly but those with illnesses and disabilities alike.
We should no longer tolerate a system which leaves many with no support and others with poor quality services. A National Autistic Society survey found two-thirds of adults with autism do not have the support they need and as a result a third developed mental health problems.
Recently, Andrew Dilnot released a report on how the system can be improved. As a local resident and a supporter of The National Autistic Society, I would like to appeal to our local MPs to bring this issue to parliament and help make Dilnot's suggestions a reality.
Without this, people will continue to be left to cope without the support they desperately need.
Alex Hampson
Bristol

Energy suppliers and Government launch Warm Home Discount as final Big Six firm raises tariffs

by Graham Hiscott

 HOUSEHOLDS are reeling from a £2.2billion bombshell after a second wave of energy price hikes in less than a year.

EDF Energy last week became the final one of the Big Six suppliers to reveal inflation-busting increases.
Yet Your Money can reveal a bid to ease the pain of rocketing bills will ignore millions of families who need help the most.
Experts fear this year’s double dose has plunged another 840,000 ­households into poverty, leaving 6.9 million with a daily struggle to afford heating. Until now, suppliers tried to lessen the blow by offering ­cheap-rate deals – known as social tariffs – to those facing hardship.
In 2009/10, firms provided an average discount of £84 each to 1.6 million customers. But many people don’t know they exist and suppliers have different rules on who qualifies.
To tackle this, the Government has launched the Warm Home Discount, setting legal targets for suppliers to help the most needy.
Under the scheme, costing £1.1billion over four years, those deemed the most vulnerable will automatically get electricity rebates of £120 in the first year, eventually rising to £140.
You don’t have to apply, instead letters will be sent to those who qualify, with the money credited to accounts by next March. There are different arrangements for pre-payment meter customers.
The vast majority of people getting help – more than 600,000 households – are pensioners, the ­Department of Energy and Climate Change said.
Yet only ­households who get the guarantee element of pension credit will receive the money this winter.
Pensioners who only get the savings element, because they’ve put money aside, won’t get the rebate until later years, depending on age.
PAYMENTS
The boost is in addition to winter fuel payments for pensioners.
This will see households with someone under 79 get £200 this year, down from a temporary jump of £250 last year.
For those over 80, the amount is down from £400 to £300.
It’s also in addition to cold weather payments that older people (along with disabled households and ­families with children under the age of five on income-related benefits) get in extreme conditions during the worst months of the year.
But, while the scheme is a positive step, critics are worried about the many others facing a bleak winter.
Industry regulator Ofgem is talking to suppliers about how to provide emergency help but the DECC admits as few as 26,000 households in what it calls a “broader group” will get the £120 rebate this year.
This will rise to 650,000 by 2014/15 but they will have to apply rather than get the rebate automatically.
Yet it’s a fraction of those struggling to make ends meet, with campaigners fearing this year’s price hikes will leave as many as 12 million people in “fuel poverty” – defined as spending at least 10% of their income on energy.
The automatic rebates for pensioners came after the Department for Work and Pensions shared information with suppliers about who is in need.
SHARING
There are growing calls for this data sharing to be extended to ensure all those who need help, get it.
Fiona Weir, chief executive of single parent group Gingerbread, said: “We get a lot of calls from single parents who are struggling in fuel poverty, which is why it is so ­disappointing that single parents are not prioritised under the Warm Home Discount.
“With high inflation and an ongoing squeeze on household budgets, many single parents find it difficult enough to make ends meet on a day-to-day basis – let alone when a huge energy bill drops on to the doormat.”
Age UK spokesman Mervyn Kohler said: “It’s a step in the right direction but pension credit is a ­means-tested benefit that people have to apply for and we know about one third of people entitled haven’t done so.
“And while the £120 is welcome, that’s exactly the average amount that pensioners will see their bills rise by after the price increases that have just been announced.”
Helen Dent, chief ­executive of Family Action, said: “We want to see the ­Government ensuring this help is better targeted and more ­available to low income, ­disadvantaged and ­vulnerable families and ­individuals.
“As we know from the results of our Energy Saving Advice scheme in ­Bradford, fuel poverty is an issue that is only going to get worse as we see rising energy prices.
DEAL
“We want to see more measures to protect the poorest from energy price rises so that families aren’t sitting in the cold this winter.”
Suppliers’ trade body the Energy Retail Association says social tariffs will be offered for the next four years, so those who don’t get rebates at first still benefit from cheaper deals. Policy adviser Alun Rees said: “The rebates are just one way of helping those in fuel poverty. Another is energy ­efficiency and suppliers will have invested £5.5billion in providing things such as insulation by the end of 2012.”
EDF Energy will raise gas prices by 15.4% and ­electricity by 4.5% in November, following recent hike announcements by British Gas, npower, E.ON, ­Scottish Power and ­Scottish & Southern Energy.
Since November, suppliers have increased average prices by £224, or 21%, leaving the typical family facing an annual bill of nearly £1,300.
Tom Lyon, energy expert at comparison website uSwitch.com, said: “You cannot have two ­consecutive rounds of energy price hikes in less than a year without seeing ­casualties.
“The visible victims are the 6.9 million, or over a quarter of all ­households, now living in fuel poverty, but they are more than matched by those who struggle to pay their bills and are starting to ­self-ration their usage.
“We are in danger of seeing energy becoming an ­unaffordable luxury instead of a ­household basic.
“My concern is the impact will really become apparent this coming winter.
“We cannot ­underestimate the effect of higher ­household energy prices – for many it will involve a complete shift in attitude and ­behaviour.”

PENSIONER Bridgete Mead will miss out on this year’s rebate – despite battling to afford her fuel bill.
The widow, 75, is officially classed as living in fuel poverty as she spends £97 of her £671 a month income on gas and electricity.
That’s on top of paying other essential bills, including £21 a month for council tax, household insurance of £15 a month plus food and clothing.
But as she only gets the savings element of pension credits, she does not qualify for the extra help.
Mrs Mead, from Rochdale, said: “I was a cook all my life so I’m good at eking out food, but it’s ­expensive.
“Every time I go to the shops, it seems the price has gone up, and not by a few pennies – by 20p or 30p.
“That’s why having to pay so much for energy has such an impact.
“There is no way I can afford to have the heating on constantly.
“Instead, I have it on for a few hours and will watch it like a hawk.
“I have always had to budget because I had seven children, so we always had to watch the money.
“Not getting the rebate this year is a shame but it’s on top of the drop in the winter fuel payments, so it all adds up.”

RABINA Shakil has already been forced to trim her food bill to afford heating – and fears the new price hikes.
Mrs Shakil, 52, spends £191 a month – more than a fifth of her household income – on gas and electricity, which includes debts that built up.
Due to illness, and having to look after a grown-up son with learning difficulties, she relies on benefits.
Yet despite her predicament, she does not receive discounted energy, has never heard of social tariffs and is unlikely to receive help via the Warm Home Discount this year.
“Things were made worse when the boiler broke down and cost £500 to fix,” explained Mrs Shakil, of Bradford, who has another adult son living at home.
“I’m repaying it at £100 a month, which takes a big chunk out of the budget.
“I don’t understand why prices have risen so fast at the same time as benefit cuts.”

The greening of the home Energy efficiency top of mind today

By John Humphrey, Special To The Star

Homeowners are going green.
With gas and oil prices seemingly always on the rise, more and more homeowners are looking for ways and means of achieving energy-efficiency by installing renewable energy sources in their residences. Yes, there will be expenses to be incurred while making your home greener, but in the end the rewards will far outweigh the financial effort.
The reality is that making not only cosmetic but eco-friendly improvements to your home is an excellent method of adding value to your home while also saving you money every month.
There is no shortage of smart and effective ways of saving energy while upgrading your home. For starters, installing energy-efficient LED lights and compact fluorescent bulbs in all of your home fixtures will reduce energy consumption significantly. While they may indeed cost a little more, fluorescent, LED and other energy efficient lighting options use less energy; they also last longer and are more durable and longer-lasting.
Take a inventory of all your household appliances. Those that are older and perhaps even obsolete, particularly refrigerators, washers and dryers, could be costing you far more money to operate than is necessary. They also harm the environment.
ENERGY EFFICIENT APPLIANCES
When it comes time to replace these appliances, look for products that are more energy-efficient and specifically designed to use less power not only while in operation, but while on standby. It is likely that not only will you be eligible for sizable rebates, you will soon cover the cost of your new energyefficient appliances via reduced utility bills. Get started by visiting Energy Star's website at energystar.gov to find the best energy-efficient models of appliances that fulfill your wants and needs.
Locally, Landscape Effects is a prime example of a company that has embraced green technology when it comes to both home improvements and landscaping. They designed and built the Green Home Corridor that is certain to be a popular attraction at this weekend's Southern Ontario Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo at the Windsor Expo Centre.
"Green living can cover a range of ideas, products and services. The Landscape Effects Group wanted to be involved because we wanted to showcase eco-friendly, sustainable and renewable products and services that are becoming increasingly more popular for our conscience consumers," says company president Paul St. Pierre. "We have always considered ourselves as being on the cutting edge, and the overall direction within the industry is to be mindful of how our designs and products work in conjunction with the betterment of our environment. That is why we wanted to be involved at this year's premiere event."
Green and energy-efficient products and services are not only important when it comes to home improvements and landscaping, St. Pierre adds.
"Energy efficient products and services are important to landscaping as it can keep costs down, and maintenance to a minimum," he says. "With so many people today having busy schedules, they have less and less time for maintenance. We as consumers are looking at ways to maintain our lifestyles with less time needing to be invested.

Inside their residence, homeowners should also strive to check the indoor climate. This means considering how temperatures in your home are regulated.
For starters, take the insulation levels of your house into careful consideration. If your home is not well insulated, it is likely that you are allowing in and letting escape far too much heat and cold and energy. Upgrading your insulation levels is one of the easiest and simplest methods of transforming your home into a much more energy-efficient place in which to live.
Check out the windows in your home to determine what steps have to be taken to ensure that your place of residence will deflect heat in the summer and retain it in the winter. And if your home has an attic, make sure that it is well-ventilated all year around.
Your home's heating and cooling system will be strained and consume more energy than necessary if the top of your home is too hot. This can easily be avoided by installing a solar-powered attic fan that will provide good ventilation and maintain the overall temperature. A home should have a dry and well-ventilated attic all year around.
Energy-efficient windows and doors will also save you money on your home heating and cooling bills. Windows and doors have long been a major source of energy loss not only in homes. Not only will energy-efficient windows increase your comfort while working to cut down outside noise levels, they also have less condensation in cold weather than standard products. And what's more, both energy-efficient windows and doors allow fewer ultraviolet rays to pass through glazed areas, thereby providing better protection of your valuables from sun damage.
While striving to make your home greener and more energy-efficient while also upgrading it, consider how your home is cooled in the summer. There are options for homeowners even living in a hot and humid climate like Windsor-Essex.
Evaporative coolers, also known as swap coolers, are environmentally-friendly that can be just as effective as more traditional air conditioners while also requiring 30 per cent and even more of the power. Also known as wet air coolers or desert coolers, evaporative coolers cool air through the evaporation of air.
Going green and becoming more energyefficient is not only good for the environment in general, but for Windsor and Essex County in particular.
"The development of green energy and green technology is wonderful for our local economy," says Rakesh Naidu, director of business attraction with the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC). "This is a business sector that we have had an interest in for a long time."
The WEEDC has produced a number of green technology seminars at this weekend's Fall Home Show and Green Living Expo.
PROMOTE GREEN INDUSTRY
"This is an excellent opportunity to not only promote green living, but the companies in our region who work in this expanding field, " Naidu offers.

"We in Windsor and Essex County are in a unique situation, especially when it comes to this market. We have a diverse and wellqualified workforce," he continues. "Not only do we have green industry companies that are suppliers, but many are also manufacturers and we also are home to head offices of a number of green technology companies.
"We see this as a very exciting and promising business sector."
In the big picture, upgrading and renovating a home to green standards is a wise investment that will soon pay for itself through both a reduction in energy consumption and increased durability of the building fabric. This is also in addition to better indoor air quality, which will only result in improved health for the residents of the home.
Other benefits of green home and energyefficient upgrades to your house include improved comfort and liveability, which in turn will reduce the negative impact on the environment by the home. The initial investment made by homeowners will be insignificant when weighed against the benefits of green and energy-efficient home improvements.

'EXTREME MAKEOVER:' Home show seeks volunteers

Wes Sims, owner of The Fusion Cos., and Salisbury University President Janet Dudley-Eshbach attend an "Extreme Makeover" announcement. / KATHY PUSEY IMAGE

SALISBURY -- ABC's Emmy award-winning show "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" is moving its bus to Wicomico County and the lead builder is seeking local volunteers.

"We need about 1,000 more volunteers than we could ever imagine," said Wes Sims, co-owner of the Annapolis-based The Fusion Cos. "Make that 5,000."
Salisbury University will host a pep rally Thursday night to build support, raise money and assemble volunteers. "Extreme Makeover's" senior producer, Milan Vasic, will present an overview of the project and the history behind the show. The event will include games for children, a performance by SU's cheerleaders and live music and video.Admission is free, but attendees are encouraged to bring a teddy bear, a book, a ball or a blanket for a child. Official T-shirts for the Eastern Shore makeover will be available for a $15 donation.The local family selected for the build will be notified Sept. 28 via a "door knock" from the "Extreme Makeover" team, including lead designer Ty Pennington.
"This project will not happen unless we have support from the community," Sims said. "We urge everyone ... to grab a friend and sign up to help with this build."
SU President Janet Dudley-Eshbach said she anticipates a number of students will pitch in.
"Civic engagement, community involvement and volunteerism are very important and are part of our university's mission," Dudley-Eshbach said. "These young people have a lot of energy so we're hoping to stir them up and get them on board."
Dudley-Eshbach also said SU has contacted the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to solicit help from students enrolled in the Construction Management Technology Program.
The Fusion Cos., known for energy-efficient practices, will finance the build and solicit local suppliers for construction materials.
"It's not financially motivated, it's not motivated by the general scope of your business and its day-to-day functions," Sims said. "It's really something that is absolutely, positively for the community, and for the family."
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Source http://www.delmarvanow.com/